Khamzat Chimaev’s leaked sparring footage of Sean Strickland backfires

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Khamzat Chimaev has put out new footage from his sparring session with Sean Strickland, but fans haven’t been impressed by what they’ve seen.

Chimaev is set to defend his middleweight title for the first time at UFC 328 in Newark, and their fight has become one of the sport’s most heated rivalries, with insults flying between the two.

This isn’t just a new chapter between them either. Back when Chimaev stopped by Xtreme Couture years ago, he had the chance to spar with Strickland, and stories from that day have only added to the build-up.

Khamzat Chimaev shares sparring footage with Sean Strickland

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Ever since Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland were first seen training together in 2022, there’s been plenty of curiosity about what actually happened during their session. While photos have circulated, actual footage hadn’t surfaced until now.

Reports from those who witnessed the session said the striking exchanges were fairly even, with some giving a slight edge to Strickland. But when the action shifted to grappling, several accounts said Chimaev managed to lock in a few submissions.

This evening, Chimaev posted a short video on social media showing part of their sparring. The clip only lasts 26 seconds but appears to show him landing a couple of shots to Strickland’s head.

The post was captioned with a laughing emoji and the message: “I am bullying weak people.” This seems to be in response to past comments from Strickland about preferring to spar with lower level or younger fighters at his gym.

Fans react to Khamzat Chimaev’s Sean Strickland sparring video

Whatever it was Chimaev was looking to accomplish by releasing this clip seems to have gone the opposite way, with fans mocking him for the video. Over 600,000 people watched the original post alone, and many commenters believe that it was far from an impressive few seconds from Chimaev.